School improvement guidance

Introduction

The school improvement guidance is being updated to clarify expectations for all stakeholders in the education system following the ‘Review of roles and responsibilities of education partners in Wales and delivery of school improvement arrangements’ (the ‘Review’). This document is grounded in the policy objectives agreed as part of the School Improvement Partnership Programme to deliver the review’s findings.

We are issuing the school improvement guidance on a non-statutory basis. We expect schools, local authorities, Estyn, and diocesan authorities to adopt the approaches to school improvement it sets out. Over the coming year, we will review progress, including after the review of governing bodies concludes, with a view to making this guidance statutory.

This non-statutory guidance supports schools and governing bodies to improve educational standards across Wales as published under section 10 of the Education Act 1996.

It is aimed at:

head teachers
governing bodies of maintained schools
pupil referral units (PRU)
local authorities
diocesan authorities
Estyn

We have used the word ‘schools’ to refer to schools, special schools and PRUs throughout the guidance.

When we say ‘should,’ we are offering advice or best practice.

When we say ‘must,’ we are referring to something required by law.

This guidance does not cover all legal requirements and so it should not be used as legal advice.

Aims of this guidance

This guidance replaces the 2022 School improvement guidance: framework for evaluation, improvement and accountability.

It provides clarity to local authorities, school leaders and governing bodies by:

setting out the culture, behaviours and practices schools need to adopt as learning organisations to raise educational standards
supporting local authorities in planning for, and developing, their local school improvement system. This should happen in partnership with their schools, allowing them to know and support their schools well and fulfil statutory duties
promoting purposeful collaboration to raise educational standards and improve learner progress, experience and outcomes
defining clear roles and responsibilities within improvement and accountability

Vision and principles: a learner-centred collaborative approach to school improvement

We want every learner in Wales to reach their full potential in an inclusive education system that:

values their unique journey from ages 3 to 16 and beyond
helps them develop towards the four purposes of Curriculum for Wales

Our vision is to develop local improvement communities of schools in every part of Wales where school leaders and school staff:

have ownership over their own development
work in partnership with other colleagues, schools and the local authority
contribute to a shared local and national improvement agenda
belong, and contribute to an open and inclusive environment that supports and enables the improvement of all schools
focus on continuous improvement in educational outcomes for our young people
have a shared moral purpose for the progress of all learners within a local area

Why collaboration matters

Many school improvement challenges are shared and too complex to solve one school at a time. Purposeful collaboration can:

break down barriers to learning
improve progress and outcomes for all learners
enable schools to access wider expertise, including working with multi-agencies
enable practitioners to reflect more deeply on their own provision and sustain improvements over time. This includes being open about what is not working and using collective insight to better understand and address underlying challenges, in line with schools as learning organisations (SLO)
foster a culture of trust and continuous growth, ensuring that every learner has access to high-quality learning and teaching

Five principles of school improvement

The following 5 principles underpin the new school improvement arrangements.

1. A culture of collective responsibility to raise standards for all learners

Improving participation, progress and outcomes for all learners is a shared endeavour. While school leaders and governing bodies remain accountable for their own schools, they should also feel a collective responsibility for the progress of learners across the wider system.

Schools, in partnership with their local authority, should act in the best interests of all learners along the 3 to 16 continuum and beyond. They should work together as learning organisations to create a culture of high expectations. All staff and stakeholders should understand and embrace this.

2. Purposeful external perspectives within an open, inclusive learning culture

Schools should enable the workforce to work together in a spirit of mutual respect, welcoming peer scrutiny, external expertise and challenge to ensure inclusive, high-quality learning for all.

Robust self-evaluation, informed by trusted external perspectives, helps schools identify improvement priorities, professional learning needs and areas for deeper investigation. Schools and local authorities should contribute to this open culture by:

investing in regular, purposeful peer collaboration to build trust and openness
engaging with evidence-informed and effective practice
sharing qualitative and quantitative evidence from their improvement journeys
participating in professional learning with peers and local authority partners to strengthen leadership, learning and teaching

This approach gives practitioners at all levels more ownership over their development. It is built on the 4 transversal themes of learning organisations: trust, time, technology, and thinking together

3. A focus on activity that improves learning: ensuring long-term collective solutions to address local challenges

Sustainable improvement requires long-term collaboration. Schools should tackle barriers to learning early and collectively. This will enable them to develop shared solutions that reflect the needs of their local context. Local authorities play a key role in facilitating this work by:

creating opportunities for schools across sectors to collaborate on shared priorities
building an inclusive 3 to 16 education system and beyond

4. Capacity for improvement being built within the school system

Schools and local authorities should work together to build capacity, skills, and expertise within the school system to support and respond to the diverse needs of all providers. Expertise from all sectors (primary, secondary, all-age, special schools, PRUs and local authorities) should be utilised to build a resilient and inclusive learning system.

Local authorities should also collaborate with one another to identify common challenges, to share solutions, improvement needs and resources, and to learn from each other on an ongoing basis. This will strengthen the system as a whole.

5. Clarity and coherence across partners under national leadership

It is essential that all partners take ownership of their roles while clearly understanding their responsibilities.

At the national level, Welsh Government and Dysgu (the professional learning and leadership body) will:

set clear expectations across the education system
provide consistent, high-quality national professional learning in key areas
work with local authorities and schools to connect national priorities with local needs

Schools and local authorities will:

work together to raise standards
use their autonomy to build strong local improvement communities
contribute to the national goal of improving outcomes for all learners across Wales
share emerging priorities and concerns to enable the system to respond to emerging needs

School improvement model: a collective effort to improve education standards

A summary of our school improvement model

Improving education is a shared responsibility. Our school improvement model supports schools to lead their own improvement, with help from others across the system.

1. Schools should lead their own improvement through regular self-evaluation and planning.

This should be an ongoing cycle of improvement rather than a one-off event. This supports schools to:

develop a culture of continuous learning
adapt their approaches in light of their evaluations

This process should be supported by external perspectives, provided by other schools in partnership with the local authority.

2. Schools should be part of a:

vertical collaborative model (ages 3 to 16)
a horizontal collaborative improvement model (for example, secondary to secondary or special to special)

These collaborative relationships should help schools improve by providing additional capacity, specialism and expertise to support the improvement journey of all schools in a sustainable way.

3. Schools will use their school development plan (SDP) to set out a clear, ongoing strategic plan for improvement. This includes:

identifying key priorities
planning professional learning for staff

Schools will also plan improvement across their collaborative partnerships, collectively striving to tackle common issues. Through planning together, schools can strengthen their improvement efforts and make better use of collective expertise.

4. Local authorities should use the collaborative improvement model to:

gain an authentic understanding of local improvement needs
understand schools’ capacity for improvement
provide tailored support when required
build a resilient and sustainable learning system

Local authorities should work in partnership with each other to:

improve their own self-evaluation processes
share improvement priorities
share school-based capacity in a systemic way

Local authorities should use insights from their work with schools and other local authorities to support their own strategic planning.

5. The Welsh Government will support system-wide improvement by:

providing consistent high-quality professional learning for national priority areas through Dysgu
aligning local needs with national priorities via the Welsh Government’s Education Improvement Team
publishing regular updates on the performance of the Welsh education system for transparency and oversight

Role of the individual school in driving improvement

Schools play a central role in driving improvement across the education system. Their actions, reflections and decisions directly shape learner experiences and outcomes.

This section outlines how schools can engage in purposeful self-evaluation to support continuous improvement.

School leaders and their governing bodies will remain accountable for:

improving learning within their own school
creating an inclusive school ethos focused on meeting the diverse needs of learners

The Education (School Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2014 (‘the SDP Regulations’) set out 2 overarching national priorities that should underpin all improvement activity. These are:

improving pupils’ progression by ensuring their learning is supported by a range of knowledge, skills and experience
reducing the impact of poverty on learners’ progression and attainment

These priorities are interconnected and should be addressed collaboratively across the education system. At school level self-evaluation should:

be purposeful and diagnostic
not be a compliance exercise
focus on understanding how well learners are progressing
identify what needs to change to improve outcomes

Schools should use the following questions as a starting point for their improvement activities.

To what extent are learners progressing in the ways described in the principles of progression, supporting their development towards the four purposes?
To what extent are all learners’ needs being met so that they can maximise their progress, and do we have high expectations for all?

These questions help guide the school’s lines of enquiry and inform a deeper, evidence-based evaluation process.

Focus areas for self-evaluation

To support meaningful reflection, schools should focus their evaluation on 3 key areas:

vision, leadership and improvement (driving strategic improvement through strong leadership and a collaborative learning culture)
learning, curriculum and teaching (ensuring all learners maximise their progress through inclusive, high-quality teaching and curriculum design)
well-being, equity and inclusion (creating safe, inclusive environments that promote well-being and remove barriers to learning)

School’s self-evaluation processes should consider the following themes.

Vision, leadership and improvement

How effectively do leaders:

set a strategic vision that reflects the school’s values and priorities?
establish strong leadership capacity across the whole school and governing body to enable sustained improvement and accountability?
develop an open culture of collaborative working and impactful professional learning for all, engaging purposefully with the professional standards for teaching and leadership?
develop effective self-evaluation and improvement processes to improve learning, teaching and the well-being of pupils?
plan strategic actions to reduce the impact of poverty on attainment, well-being, and progression?
ensure the effective and ethical use of financial and human resources to support improvement?

Learning, curriculum and teaching

How effectively does the school:

ensure meaningful progress for all learners, and in particular those facing barriers to learning?
ensure learner progress along a Welsh language continuum, including within school settings other than Welsh-medium?
secure high-quality teaching through assessment-informed, responsive practice that supports learner progression?
co-construct an inclusive curriculum, in line with the Curriculum for Wales framework, promoting a broad range of knowledge, skills and experiences?
act as a community-focused school that fosters positive partnerships to enrich learning and support inclusion?
actively listen to children and young people?
develop workforce capacity and capability, supported by investment in pedagogical enquiry and ongoing professional development for all?

Well-being, equity and inclusion

How well do leaders and practitioners:

ensure progress in embedding a whole-school approach to mental health and emotional well-being?
create a school environment that promotes equity, diversity and anti-discrimination through curriculum and culture?
establish robust safeguarding arrangements that are well understood, consistently applied and regularly reviewed?
foster inclusive learning environments that ensure full participation for all learners, especially those facing barriers to learning?
ensure equal opportunities for all learners to succeed?
ensure that barriers to meaningful participation or learning are actively identified and addressed?

Self-evaluation as a process

The ‘Improvement process within schools’ section outlines steps schools can take to support their ongoing development. This process is designed to be explored through collaborative partnerships. Through bringing in outside views, support and challenge, schools can improve how they reflect on their own practice. This makes self-evaluation more accurate and leads to sustainable improvement.

Schools should triangulate a range of evidence, including observations, learner voice, assessment data and contextual information, to inform their evaluation and improvement priorities. No school should undertake this work in isolation. Developing a shared understanding of progression and expectations for learning requires opportunities for professional dialogue, reflection and enquiry, both within and beyond the school. The work of SLO fully supports this approach. Working with the dimensions within the SLO model can focus professional dialogue as required.

Observations of learning and learner progress carried out across the workforce should:

focus on the learner and their experience
take place within a supportive and open culture that encourages reflection and improvement

These are most effective when guided by the notice, analyse, respond approach.

Notice what is happening in the learning environment, identify patterns in engagement, progress, or well-being.
Analyse the evidence to understand what it reveals about learning and teaching, often through professional dialogue and collaboration.
Respond by taking informed action to enhance learner outcomes.

This kind of first-hand, reflective evidence is a vital part of the school improvement cycle. It helps to ensure decisions are grounded in the real experiences of learners and involve all staff and wider stakeholders.

Self-evaluation and the use of data and quantitative information

Data and quantitative information are critical for school improvement and should be balanced with qualitative evidence such as observations of learning and learner feedback.

The most effective use of quantitative data:

focuses on understanding learner progress and well-being, including any barriers to these
provides for a breadth of analysis, rather than relying on a single ‘narrow’ set of data
recognises the school’s context
can be used in conjunction with other evidence to evaluate the progress and well-being of individual learners and groups of learners
is based on reliable and accurate assessment, learner-centred enquiry and professional judgement
is used to inform improvement in leadership, learning and teaching

Learner assessment should build a full picture of each learner and guide next steps. It should include identifying learners with additional learning needs (ALN) who may require ALN provision. Schools should use varied, ongoing assessment methods and collaborate with others to ensure high expectations and progress for all learners, especially those facing barriers to their learning.

Summative assessment data alone is not enough. External data, such as personalised assessments and qualification outcomes, should be contextualised and never used solely for accountability.

Assessment should:

serve learning, not external demands
not be undertaken simply to satisfy the perceived needs of governing bodies, local authorities or Estyn

All partners are responsible for ensuring that data and information are used and shared appropriately and ethically to support improvement, within an open and trusting learning culture. More information is available at ‘Supporting learner progression: assessment guidance’.

Self-evaluation leading to improvement

To ensure that evaluation leads to meaningful change, there should always be a clear link between:

the findings from strong, diagnostic self-evaluation
the specific priorities for improvement with clear milestones identified
the professional learning experience that supports progress toward these priorities

This ensures that evaluation is not an end in itself, but a driver of continuous improvement, focused on enhancing learner outcomes.

Vertical and horizontal collaboration

As a natural and ongoing part of their self-evaluation and improvement processes, all schools should work in collaboration, in partnership with their local authority to secure sustainable change. Vertical and horizontal collaboration offer complementary ways for schools to engage in this work, each with distinct but interconnected benefits. Working collaboratively to enable professional dialogue both horizontally and vertically also allows schools to develop and maintain a shared understanding of progression, in line with the Direction under Section 57 of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021.

Vertical collaboration

Improving participation, progress and outcomes for all learners requires a coherent and connected approach to education. From ages 3 to 16 and beyond, schools should collaborate across:

foundation learning
primary
secondary
special schools
PRUs

This will ensure every learner experiences a seamless, inclusive and high-quality learning journey. This includes developing long-term, collective solutions to address local challenges and removing barriers to learning at the earliest possible stage.

Working across the 3 to 16 continuum is essential to securing equity and excellence. It enables schools to align curriculum, pedagogy and assessment practices, ensuring that learners:

build on prior learning
maintain momentum
are well supported through key transitions

It enables the development of a shared understanding of inclusive teaching and progression, and high expectations for learning across the 3 to 16 continuum. This is particularly important for learners who may face barriers to learning or are at risk of disengagement.

Schools can support sustainable improvement across phases through developing and sharing:

leadership capacity
expertise
specialist knowledge

Through working together, schools can strengthen leadership and teaching practices. This will help them to support learners throughout their educational journey.

Transition for learners along their whole learning continuum is a key focus of vertical collaboration. For example, transition plans from primary to secondary schools should be informed by insights gained through ongoing, effective partnership working. This will ensure learners moving between settings are supported:

academically
socially
emotionally

(See Requirement for the production of Transition Plans and guidance 2022.)

Horizontal collaboration

All schools should also work with other schools that have learners in the same age range, for example:

mainstream schools working with special schools
a secondary school working with other secondary schools

This horizontal collaboration should directly inform and support their improvement and self-evaluation processes.

Central to this is:

the development of a shared understanding of progression
a commitment to high expectations for learning and teaching

Working with horizontally with other schools allows leaders and practitioners to:

observe and learn from other leadership, learning and teaching
enhance the quality of self-reflection and self-evaluation through constructive and focused professional dialogue
develop leadership capacity, expertise and specialism around subject- or phase-specific areas

Horizontal collaboration should be:

flexible, allowing schools to work with partners that best support their improvement journey
focused and robust, ensuring tangible impact on leadership, provision, learner progress and outcomes

This type of effective collaboration will usually work best where:

it has been allowed to develop and mature over time within longer-term partnerships
trust, transparency and shared vision have been embedded

In the most effective examples, schools who work in this way:

have an agreed strategic overview of how collaboration will support each individual institution
plan together
coordinate their efforts
share resources
regularly evaluate the impact of their joint work to ensure it supports improvement across all schools involved

School Development Plan (SDP)

The SDP is the school’s strategic plan for improvement. It outlines how the school will promote high standards of educational achievement. It sets out a governing body’s:

school improvement priorities
school improvement targets and expected outcomes for the school
plan for working with learners, their families, and the local community to achieve those targets
school improvement strategy
professional learning strategy for staff with an understanding of expected impact
statement as to what extent it met its previous targets

The SDP must set out:

how the school will achieve its priorities
how the school will use the resources it has available, including funding
how the school intends to develop its staff (including those temporarily placed at the school) to meet its priorities
how INSET days (training days for teachers) will support school improvement

Setting out the most effective and efficient use of INSET time to support improvement in the school’s priorities will form a natural part of this planning process. INSET time refers to days when school teachers are in school but are not required to teach children. Such days are instead used to provide training for teachers.

The plan should:

be informed by ongoing reflection, dialogue and honest self-evaluation based on the collaborative model described above
include both short and longer-term objectives
focus on a manageable number of specific improvement priorities designed to deliver sustainable improvement

While the SDP should cover a 3-year period, it must provide sufficient detail for the current school year and outline high-level priorities for Years 2 and 3. Some priorities will be completed within a single year, while some may require a longer-term approach.

Importantly, the SDP should not encourage a culture of simply moving on to the next initiative. Sustaining improvement is often more challenging than initiating it. Schools should:

use ongoing evaluation through a structured process of sharing knowledge to understand whether changes are having the intended impact
be willing to pause, reflect, and adapt when things are not working

A culture of openness where challenges are acknowledged and explored is essential for meaningful, lasting improvement.

Schools should:

specify where they require external support or professional learning to implement improvements
consider how their existing collaborative partnerships can meet these needs
work with other schools and the local authority where required to broker bespoke support

The SDP is a dynamic, flexible document that should be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the school’s evolving progress, emerging needs and changing circumstances. It must be kept under review during the school year and should identify clear measurable outcomes that are regularly monitored as part of ongoing self-evaluation processes.

The SDP should be easily accessible and used as a common reference point by all staff and governing bodies. It need not contain more detail than is necessary to fulfil its primary purpose. The SDP’s quality of planning should be judged in terms of its impact on improvement rather than the volume of detail it contains.

The SDP must be reviewed and revised if necessary:

at least annually and in any event no later than the date on which the SDP was last prepared or revised
following an inspection by Estyn under section 28 of the Education Act 2005

Pupil referral units (PRUs) and the SDP

PRUs and their management committees are also required to prepare and maintain a development plan in accordance with the SDP Regulations (applied to PRUS by virtue of Part 2 of Schedule 2 to the Education (Pupil Referral Units) (Application of Enactments) (Wales) Regulations 2007). While the structure and context of PRUs may differ from mainstream schools, the principles of self-evaluation, strategic planning, and sustained improvement apply equally.

The full requirements for the SDP can be found in The Education (School Development Plans) (Wales) Regulations 2014 as amended by regulation 14 of The Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 (Consequential Amendments) (Secondary Legislation) (No. 2) Regulations 2022.

The role of local authorities in collaborative school improvement

Local authorities play a vital role in nurturing an open, improvement-focused culture across the local learning system. As integral partners in the collaborative improvement infrastructure, local authorities should work alongside schools, learning with and from them to build a shared understanding of strengths, challenges and priorities.

When local authorities take part in collaborative improvement activities they:

gain first-hand insight into school performance
reduce the need for additional accountability documentation
build stronger relationships with schools

This will help local authorities to understand their schools better and support them more effectively.

This model will allow local authorities to:

strengthen self-evaluation by using collaborative models to identify school priorities and barriers to learning, enabling more aligned and holistic local authority support in line with corporate priorities
develop a deep understanding of the leadership, teaching, well-being and learning capacity within their schools to inform strategic planning and targeted support
draw together local improvement priorities by working with schools to identify strengths and capacity to support others, helping to build a resilient and sustainable learning system
draw on expertise from outside the locality and commission school-to-school support as required
analyse and use a wide range of data and intelligence from across the wider local authority services to plan strategically and ensure schools develop as inclusive and community-focused learning environments that engage all learners and their families

Local authorities should use the collaborative improvement model to complement the intelligence gained from SDPs, enabling them to broker bespoke support, including professional learning, and build system-wide capacity for improvement. The role of the local authority school improvement partner or advisor should evolve to focus on enabling and facilitating collaborative school groups. Through their engagement in collaborative improvement activities, these advisors will help schools understand their strengths and needs and identify the correct priorities most in need of improvement. They will:

coordinate improvement efforts
connect schools with the broader support available through local authority services

Local authorities should develop clear evaluation processes within and across local authorities to understand the effectiveness and impact of the collaborative model on the quality of leadership, learning, teaching and well-being. Where collaboration is not working effectively local authorities should intervene to facilitate improvement.

This may involve:

supporting schools to strengthen their collaborative practices
providing targeted professional challenge and support
escalating concerns where necessary, including the use of statutory powers where a school is persistently causing concern or failing to engage meaningfully in improvement activity

The local authority also plays a key role in supporting PRUs and working with their management committees. This includes:

strategic planning
oversight
ensuring PRUs have a clear curriculum statement
ensuring PRUs have access to the same collaborative improvement opportunities as mainstream schools

Further information on local authority duties in relation to PRUs can be found in the ‘PRUs’ section.

Local authorities should ensure they have robust corporate information systems to develop a comprehensive understanding of their schools. Within a culture of openness and trust, they should share relevant data and insights with schools to support self-evaluation and improvement.

Schools causing concern: collective responsibility

An open and collaborative improvement culture built on trust, transparency, and professional dialogue should enable local authorities, in partnership with their schools, to identify issues early and prevent schools from reaching the point where they are formally ‘causing concern’. When this culture is working effectively, schools will engage openly with each other and with the local authority to overcome challenges, ensuring that targeted support is in place for those facing serious difficulties.

Where schools are under enhanced monitoring by the local authority, or placed in an Estyn category (for example special measures) each case will require a tailored and proportionate approach, with the local authority brokering bespoke support that leads to sustainable improvement. Leadership expertise and specialist support from across school collaboratives, and from external partners where appropriate, should be mobilised to ensure no school is left behind.

Where early support and collaboration do not lead to sufficient improvement, or where a school is unwilling or unable to engage, the local authority must consider its statutory powers. The ‘Local authorities’ section provides further information on the legal framework for intervening in schools causing concern, including the circumstances under which formal intervention may be necessary to protect learners’ interests.

Local authorities working in partnership

Local authorities should ensure effective collaborative working across their range of services and with other partners, such as health boards. They should also work in mutually beneficial partnership with other local authorities to strengthen their improvement capacity and ensure that efforts are informed by external, expert insight.

By sharing intelligence, addressing common challenges, and supporting one another, local authorities can enhance their collective ability to drive improvement across the system. This approach enables local authorities to:

improve the quality of self-evaluation at a local level by using internal and external perspectives to consolidate and refine their local improvement priorities
develop further as learning organisations, where external support and constructive challenge contribute to improvements in leadership, provision and learner outcomes and well-being
identify and share areas of strength and effective practice at school and local authority level, extending impact beyond their own geographical area
secure collaborative capacity for schools across local authority boundaries (this will be particularly important for schools with specific characteristics or needs such as Welsh medium, special schools or PRUs)

Welsh Government: support for system-wide improvement

Education Improvement Team

This team supports regular dialogue between local authorities and local collaboratives of schools. This dialogue will:

help to foster a culture of self-improvement and connect national and local priorities
facilitate the sharing of learning and evidence-informed practice between local authorities and schools across Wales

The Education Improvement Team will:

engage regularly with local authorities and schools around priority areas
support the national understanding of local barriers to educational improvement
work with other national partners
feed consolidated local intelligence directly into Welsh Government

Dysgu

Dysgu is the Welsh Government’s professional learning and leadership body. It will lead the delivery of professional learning in response to national priorities. This will provide high-quality and consistent support for:

literacy and numeracy
curriculum design
well-being

Dysgu will also deliver long-term change programmes to support ALN and improve the teaching of Welsh in our English-medium schools.

National support for school improvement advisors, and other partners supporting improvement in the system, will also be delivered.

The body will support the delivery of statutory requirements (the National Professional Qualification for Headship and induction for Newly Qualified Teachers) and provide support for practitioners, teaching assistants, teachers, senior leaders and head teachers in maintained schools in Wales along their career pathways.

Diocesan

Diocesan authorities support schools with a religious character to ensure they uphold the values and teachings of their church.

Their role includes:

supporting professional learning (for example well-being, spirituality, curriculum)
strengthening leadership and governance, including the appointment of foundation governors where appropriate
supporting school evaluation and improvement
working in partnership with schools and local authorities to help raise standards

Accountability in the education system

The accountability system in Wales:

is designed to promote fairness and inclusivity, recognising the unique circumstances of each school and learner
exists to ensure that evaluation and improvement processes are working effectively
acts as a safety net, not the driver, of school improvement
can support and strengthen improvement activity by identifying and addressing issues early

As described above, data and information play a crucial role in evaluation, improvement and accountability processes. However, to truly support improvement in learning, they should be both appropriate for use and used appropriately. All partners in the system should promote a balanced approach, using a range of data and intelligence to:

understand issues and underlying factors
address the diverse needs of our learners and schools

Data should never be used in isolation to make judgements about schools or learners. Instead, it should be used as part of a triangulated evidence base to:

raise questions
identify strengths
highlight areas for improvement

There are 3 main levels of accountability within this system. The following organisations and structures hold schools and local authorities to account.

Accountability of individual schools

Head teacher
Governing bodies
Local authorities
Estyn

Accountability of local authority

Local authority scrutiny
Estyn

Accountability of national policy

Welsh Government: publication of information on the performance of the education system
Senedd and the Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Committee

Accountability of individual schools

Head teachers

The School Government (Terms of Reference) (Wales) Regulations 2000 (‘the 2000 Regulations’) set out the roles of the head teacher and governing body.

Head teachers in Wales play a central role in the school improvement and accountability system. They are responsible for the internal organisation, management and day-to-day running of the school, and for putting into action the strategic direction set by the governing body. This includes shaping the school’s aims, policies and improvement targets, which are then agreed with the governing body.

They are expected to:

provide clear and regular updates on the school’s progress
demonstrate how their leadership is supporting improved progress and outcomes for learners
report to the governing body on progress against targets

They also contribute to wider system accountability by engaging with local authorities, inspectors and other partners, ensuring that their school’s work aligns with national priorities and supports collective improvement across the system.

Governing bodies

The 2000 Regulations provide that school governing bodies are responsible for the strategic leadership of their school. They decide what they want the school to achieve and set the strategic framework for the school. They are responsible for:

setting aims and objectives for the school, setting policies for the school for achieving the aims and objectives
setting targets for achieving the aims and objectives

In addition, the governing body must:

monitor and evaluate progress in the school towards achievement of the aims and objectives set and shall regularly review the strategic framework for the school in the light of that progress
act as ‘critical friend’ to the head teacher, that is to say, they shall support the head teacher in the performance of the functions of the post and give the head teacher constructive criticism where necessary

The SDP, along with the governing body’s agreed policies, forms the strategic framework. The governing body must provide an annual report to parents and carers on progress made against the strategic framework.

In relation to evaluation and improvement, governing bodies should:

ensure schools are engaged in purposeful vertical and horizontal collaboration with a focus on improving leadership, learning, teaching and well-being support
enable leaders and practitioners to participate in professional learning within collaborative arrangements and, where appropriate, support their school leaders and staff to act as local system leaders
foster an open, supportive culture where support is provided, received and valued
approve the school’s improvement priorities, SDP and any identified support

As the accountable body, governing bodies should:

monitor delivery of the SDP and act where progress is unsatisfactory
use the SDP to inform the professional development review process
ensure all staff are accountable for their role in delivering improvement
provide challenge to the head teacher and hold them to account for the school’s overall performance and effectiveness

Local authorities

Local authorities have a dual role in the school system as maintainers of schools and as promoters of educational standards.

Local authorities provide a range of core services and support to schools, including:

HR, finance, estates and buildings
school admissions (in voluntary-aided and foundation schools, the governing body employs the staff and sets the admissions criteria)
school organisation (including planning of Welsh-medium education in accordance to section 84 of the ‘School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013’ which requires local authorities to prepare a Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) and outlines that a WESP must outline how the local authority will improve the planning of the provision of education through the medium of Welsh and also the standards of Welsh-medium education and of the teaching of Welsh in its area). The Schools Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 duty on local authorities to prepare WESPs will in the coming years transfer to the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025. Until such a time, the current WESPs remain operational under the 2013 Act and the associated regulations made in 2019
attendance, inclusion and support for all learners, including those with ALN

Educational standards

Schools should seek to maintain high standards. Local authorities are responsible for supporting and holding schools to account for this. Local authorities should fulfil this duty through the collaborative improvement model. The model is outlined under ‘School improvement model: a collective effort to improve education standards’. The local authority should be accountable for:

understanding schools’ priorities
facilitating collective improvements through the collaborative infrastructure (drawing on expertise from outside the locality where required)
developing a deep understanding of the quality of leadership, learning, teaching and well-being support required
understanding schools’ capacity to improve
providing a holistic support offer and evaluating its impact
engaging with and making available to schools the latest national and international evidence

Local authorities should maintain robust information systems. Through these they should develop a comprehensive understanding of their schools. When concerns arise, local authorities may need to work directly with individual schools. In such cases, professional dialogue should determine what additional evidence is needed and how it will be shared. Schools receiving direct support should remain active in their collaborative partnerships.

Schools causing concern

The ‘School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013’ sets out the legal framework for intervening in schools causing concern. The Welsh Government has issued revised ‘Schools causing concern: statutory guidance for schools and local authorities’. The guidance sets out the legislative requirements and powers available to local authorities and Welsh Ministers for intervening in schools causing concern. The guidance describes the formal process and various types of intervention available for both local authorities and Welsh Ministers when specific grounds for intervention exist. Where a power to intervene exists then local authorities may exercise one or more of the following powers of intervention:

power to require a governing body to secure advice or collaborate
power to appoint additional governors
power to constitute a governing body of interim executive members
power to suspend the right to a delegated budget
general power to give directions and take steps

These powers must be used proactively and proportionately. They must secure rapid and sustainable improvement where schools are underperforming or failing to engage in improvement activity.

PRUs

Local authorities should recognise the important role of PRU management committees and must follow the legal requirement to delegate certain responsibilities to them, as set out in the Education (Pupil Referral Units) (Management Committees etc.) (Wales) Regulations 2014.

These responsibilities include:

running the PRU
handling complaints about the curriculum

Strategic planning and oversight

Working closely with the local authority, the management committee should set a strategic framework for the PRU. This should include:

clear aims and objectives
relevant policies, targets and priorities
plans for monitoring and reviewing progress
checking whether policies, targets and priorities are being achieved

Committee members should use self-evaluation to assess progress and decide if any changes are needed.

Curriculum policy

In accordance with regulation 23 of the 2014 Regulations, the local authority, management committee and teacher in charge must jointly prepare and regularly review a written statement on the PRU’s curriculum policy. More detailed guidance on PRU management committee roles is available in the 2014 statutory guidance.

Estyn inspections of schools

Estyn provides independent, regular and consistent inspections of schools. Inspections offer a clear, evidence-based view of how well schools are performing and where improvement is needed.

Estyn should ensure that their inspection framework and arrangements are consistent with the principles and expectations set out in this guidance.

Under section 28 of the Education Act 2005, Estyn is required to carry out a core inspection of individual schools. It must do this at least once within a 6-year cycle (September 2024 to August 2030). In addition to core inspections, Estyn has introduced interim visits to support providers with their self-evaluation and improvement planning. This means schools will be visited at least twice within the current cycle.

Accountability of local authorities

Scrutiny committees

Scrutiny committees within local authorities oversee the work of the local authorities in delivering statutory functions and wider services. Scrutiny is undertaken by elected members who do not hold executive positions within the council. Effective scrutiny should enhance improvement, accountability and transparency within the local authorities.

Scrutiny committees should:

hold cabinet members to account for the quality and impact of the council’s services to support schools
scrutinise council services supporting schools, rather than scrutinise schools using their accountability arrangements
monitor and scrutinise the use of statutory powers to support and improve schools causing concern
consider the impact of school reorganisation decisions on the improvement of schools

Local government education services inspection

Local government education services (LGES) cover the local authority’s statutory education functions for children and young people up to age 25.

Estyn carry out inspections of LGES under section 38 of the Education Act 1997 which provides that Estyn may, and if requested to do so by the Welsh

Ministers, arrange for any local authority to be inspected. Section 38 has been amended so that the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research may also request such an inspection where the education provision relates to learners who are over compulsory school age but under the age of 19. At the date of writing this guidance that amendment is not yet in force.

Such an inspection ‘shall consist of a review of the way in which the authority is performing any function which relates to the provision of education for (a) persons of compulsory school age (whether at school or otherwise) or (b) for persons of any age above or below that age who are registered as pupils at schools maintained by the authority’.

Local authorities should use the school-based collaborative improvement model to improve education standards. Estyn should assess local authorities’ effectiveness at this through its:

local authority inspections
local authority link inspector (LALI) visits
enhanced visits

Local authorities are also held accountable through:

scrutiny of school reorganisation proposals
oversight of WESPs
the quality of Welsh language immersion arrangements
the assurance and risk assessment work with Estyn, Audit Wales and Care Inspectorate Wales

Estyn should ensure that their inspection framework and arrangements are consistent with the principles and expectations set out in this guidance.

National oversight of the school system

The Welsh Government has overall responsibility for the design and operation of the school system in Wales. One of its main roles is planning and policymaking, through evidence-based collaboration and co-construction with all tiers of the system. It also has a responsibility to support the framework for evaluation, improvement and accountability through its actions and behaviours. This includes helping to build capacity to support system-improvement and being clear about where accountabilities lie.

To support transparency and national accountability, the Welsh Government makes publicly available a range of information relevant to the effectiveness of the education system and its policies. This includes the following.

Estyn’s annual report

This provides Estyn’s summary and analysis of inspection evidence from the previous academic year. It identifies trends, progress, and areas for development across education sectors, helping to monitor national performance and inform policy decisions.

Estyn thematic reviews

Each year, Welsh Ministers also commission Estyn to undertake thematic reviews or inspections on specified topics. Estyn’s subsequent reports help to inform policy development and to monitor progress, by both identifying what is working well, as well as highlighting policies or practices that do not benefit learners nor support the quality of educational provision.

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment)

Assesses 15-year-olds’ ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-life context across reading, mathematics and science. PISA is currently transitioning from a 3-year cycle to a 4-year cycle. By design, PISA emphasises functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of compulsory schooling.

The evidence gathered through PISA helps us understand how well young people are prepared to meet the challenges of modern society. It provides valuable insights for educators and policymakers, both in Wales and internationally, to improve learning and teaching outcomes.

PIRLS and TIMSS

Wales will participate in international assessments for literacy, numeracy and science for Year 5 learners by taking part in PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). Taking part in both studies will provide educators and policymakers with valuable insights into the effectiveness of our education system for younger learners and help identify areas for improvement.

Statistical releases

To account for a broad range of user needs, Welsh Government collects and publishes a range of data in the form of a statistical headline, release or bulletin, along with associated StatsWales tables, to account for a broad range of user needs. Official statistical releases include:

schools census
EOTAS census
school workforce annual census
attendance
exclusions
GCSE and A level results

The Welsh Ministers are accountable to the Senedd and the CYPE Committee for the overall performance of the school system. This democratic scrutiny enhances transparency and system-wide accountability.

The School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 gives Welsh Ministers statutory powers to intervene in schools causing concern. These powers are similar to local authorities’ powers, but there are some important differences. The powers are:

power to require governing bodies to secure advice or collaborate
power to appoint additional governors
power to constitute a governing body of interim executive boards
power to direct the federation of schools
power to direct the closure of schools
general power to give directions and take steps

However, local authorities are expected to act first. Welsh Ministers will only intervene where:

the local authority has failed to take action
the action the local authority has taken is unlikely to address the grounds for intervention
the local authority has taken action but the governing body has not responded to the Welsh Minister’s satisfaction

Improvement process within schools

Self-evaluation and improvement planning should revolve around the following 3 questions:

how well are we doing?
how do we know?
how can we improve?

1. Identifying the areas of focus

Look at what is going well and what needs to improve. Leaders and practitioners will have insights to these aspects through operating as learning organisations within a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Choose key areas that need further investigation.

Involving staff in discussions about learning and learner progress through team meetings, informal and formal professional dialogue, or shared reflections builds a more accurate picture of strengths and weaknesses. Different staff bring different perspectives, leading to better decisions about what to prioritise. This can be done internally, in collaboration with other schools or working with the local authority.

2. Establishing clear expectations of what you expect to see

Before collecting any evidence such as on learning walks or through looking at learners’ work, discuss and agree what you would expect to see, in relation to developmentally appropriate learning and progress and if things are working effectively for all learners. By agreeing on shared expectations across teams or departments, it contributes to a shared understanding of progression, supports more focused observation of learning and progress and enables more productive reflections on the effectiveness of teaching. Here, it can be beneficial to secure external perspective too; opportunities for key staff members to observe learning in relation to the particular focus area working well in other schools or involving external expertise from other schools in the process, can help to refine those expectations. This creates a consistency of understanding and expectation during learning walks or looking at learners’ work and ensures everyone is aligned in their approach. This can also help to align expectations across schools with similar concerns.

3. Use a range of evidence to triangulate findings

Gather information from different sources such as looking at learning and learner progress in lesson observations and learning walks, analysis of data, listening to learners, considering views of all stakeholders. Using more than one source helps check the reliability of your findings and helps to focus attention on what needs to improve. Again, schools working as learning organisations create opportunities for staff to collaborate and consider pedagogical practices together. Information gained through the professional development review process across the school could also feed into this aspect of a self-evaluation process.

Involving various leaders and staff members within and across schools in gathering and analysing evidence ensures a fuller, more balanced picture. Teachers, support staff, leaders, learners, parents and carers can offer valuable insights that strengthen findings. Having clear systems for sharing knowledge enables staff to discuss and evaluate if actions, such as professional learning, have had the desired outcome to improve practice.

4. Analysis of findings to identify root cause of issues

Look closely at all the evidence gathered to understand why a problem is happening, not just what is happening. Get to the root-cause of the issue, not just the symptoms, which may be different for different learners. If necessary, conduct specific activity to uncover these root causes. It is always useful to make connections between evidence to do this.

5. Planning evidence-based, ‘solution-focused’ activity

Once you have identified the cause of the problem, as part of a culture of enquiry, use research-informed evidence and proven strategies to plan actions that directly address the issues you have found.

This includes engaging in evidence-based reflection, using real information such as learner outcomes, observations of progress and learning, and learner feedback to think critically about what is working and what needs to change.

It also involves collaborative enquiry, where staff work together (within or across schools) to explore challenges, test new approaches and learn from each other. Sharing research, case studies and successful strategies strengthens collective understanding and leads to more informed, effective action-planning.

The SDP will be a key tool for capturing and guiding this improvement work.

6. Identifying professional learning needs

Work with staff to decide on the professional learning needed to carry out the improvement plans effectively. Use the professional standards for teaching and leadership to support these conversations with practitioners as part of statutory professional development review arrangements.

Peer feedback and coaching conversations also help tailor professional learning that is relevant and timely. Shared needs across schools may also lead to collaborative enquiry, mentoring, coaching or joint professional learning opportunities where the intended impact of all professional learning is clearly identified. The effective use of INSET time will also be a factor to consider.

7. Realising change (within the SDP)

Trial and develop (optional step)

As part of the SDP, schools may choose to trial planned activities on a small scale before full implementation. These pilots (led by small groups of staff) allow for real-time feedback, adaptation and resource development. This helps identify what works well and what may need refining.

Direct implementation

Alternatively, schools may decide to move straight to full implementation where there is already strong evidence or confidence in the approach. This may be appropriate when the change builds on existing practice or has been successfully tested elsewhere.

8. Wider rollout

Whether trialled or implemented directly, the plan should be rolled out across the school or collaborative. Embedding this within the SDP ensures alignment with strategic goals. Staff involvement throughout supports ownership, consistency and readiness for change.

9. Monitoring and refining (aligned with the SDP)

Review and refine

Evaluate the outcomes of the trial or early implementation phase against agreed success criteria. Use feedback from staff, local authorities and collaborative networks to support this. Team-based reflection grounded in classroom realities can ensure plans remain practical and impactful. Adopting strong collaborative approaches will provide opportunities for collective learning.

10. Ongoing monitoring

After full implementation, schools should continue to monitor the impact on learners. This ongoing evaluation should be embedded within the SDP using collaborative structures to evaluate progress, adjust strategies and ensure sustainable improvement.

School Improvement Partnership Programme objectives

All schools in Wales are participating in purposeful vertical (3 to 16 secondary and primary cluster) and horizontal (for example secondary to secondary) collaborative approaches and structures focused on improving learning.
All local authorities are working in partnership with their schools, actively using this new school-based collaborative approach to know their schools and improve educational standards in their area. This is in the context of their responsibilities in relation to curriculum, equity, ALN, school improvement, Welsh language, professional learning and funding.
School improvement capacity exists predominantly within schools by ensuring an appropriate balance of school-based expertise, secondments and any permanent local authority-based specialist resource.
All local authorities have clear partnership arrangements which are focused on improving learning through their collaborative local improvement system and represent value for money for resources.
All local authorities have a robust transition plan, along with a clear long-term commitment to meet the policy objectives.